Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood is
the seventh book in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Phyrne Fisher is attending a gala performance
of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore at His Majesty’s Theater. Along the way, Phryne and her aviator friend,
Bunji Ross encounter some trouble and must rescue an elderly Chinese woman and
her grandson, Lin Chung (good thing Phryne is handy with an axe). Phryne is enjoying the performance until
Walter Copland, playing Sir Ruthven, collapses on the stage. The theater’s manager and an old friend of
Phryne’s, Sir Bernard Tarrant requests Phryne’s assistance, but the performance
must go on first. Robert Craven takes
over the part of Sir Ruthven and, near the end of the play, it is obvious that
something is wrong with the man. It
turns out that both men were poisoned. The production has been plagued with
problems and some believe there is a ghost in the theater. Sir Bernard hires Phryne to investigate. When Walter Copland does not last the night, Detective
Inspector Jack Robinson is out to find his killer. Jack is glad to have Phryne involved with this
case (he dislikes theaters). But the person
responsible is not done tormenting the production. Can Phryne and Jack find the culprit before
there is another fatality? And Phryne
has not seen the last of the fetching Lin Chung.

Ruddy Gore is an entertaining
novel. It is always delightful to
revisit the vivacious Phryne Fisher. The
story starts out a little slow while Phryne is enjoying Ruddigore, but the pace
picks up after the performance. The book
has an overabundance of characters. Readers
are introduced to the cast of the play and the people who work behind the
scenes at the theater. I do wish there
had not been so many characters to weed through and that some of the core
characters had been included in Ruddy Gore (Bert, Cec, Dot, Ruth, Jane, the
Butlers). In addition, I missed Phryne’s
over-the-top personality. She was more
subdued in this novel. Lin Chung is a
nice addition to the series, and I am sure we will see him again in the future. I give Ruddy Gore 3.5 out of 5 stars. I found the mysteries (there is a thirty-year-old
one too) entertaining, but they can be solved (if you pay close
attention). It was interesting to see
the differences between the book and the show by the same name. Personally, I was more a fan of the show. It had more focus. If you are not a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan,
I do not recommend Ruddy Gore. Information about the play and characters are
discussed in length. While reading Ruddy Gore, you need to remember that the book is set in 1928. People’s views towards Chinese were very
different than they are today. If you are a fan of Miss Fisher and her antics,
you will enjoy this seventh installment in the series. Those who have not read the earlier books in
the series may not enjoy Ruddy Gore. There are twenty books in the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Review Policy

If you would like me to read and review your book, please contact me at Doodlesink@hotmail.com. I enjoy mysteries, paranormal, Christian fiction, and contemporary books. My reviews will be honest and are not influenced by receiving a book for free.